Dave, I am not sure what you say is entirely true. The 10V source can provide direct heating to a certain temperature, and can create a plasma from electron impact. A plasma is comprised of ionized gas. However, the ions don't need to be bare nuclei, and typically are not for anything but a hydrogen plasma. Normally 1 or 2 electrons are lost from the ions, in this case, Ag in vapor phase. The 10V can produce electron ionization up to about 10eV energy. This would correspond to a deep UV photon of 124nm (produced during restoration of the electron), which can reach fairly deep into the shells of the Ag atoms.
However, the spectrum Mills showed contained soft x-ray, probably in the 100eV range (I could not read the axis of the graph he showed). Even this probably does not represent ionization (and re-combination) of the inner shells of the Ag electron orbitals. But, achieving 100eV soft x-ray ionization with 10eV needs some explanation. Mills would say it came from catalyzed shrinkage of the hydrogen orbital to a fractional quantum state. The question is, could it have come from an alternative mechanism? For example, in the very strong magnetic field, could multiple 10eV electrons contribute to an 100eV ionization? What else could be responsible? On Thu, Feb 4, 2016 at 11:32 PM, David Roberson <dlrober...@aol.com> wrote: I have a comment regarding the source voltage and the spectrum generated by > a plasma heated by that voltage. The 10 volt supply can be used to > generate heating of the plasma due to the power absorbed by the plasma. > The resulting high temperature can ionize the plasma by itself and > therefore the radiation energy that results from the recombination of the > electron with the ion should be independent of the supply voltage. > > If my above thought process is accurate then a 1 volt source would be > capable of initiating 10 eV radiation if it can supply enough local heat to > the system and that energy of radiation is possible when the ion > recombines. Perhaps we should not be too concerned about the source > voltage and instead concentrate upon the source power. > > Dave > > -----Original Message----- > From: Eric Walker <eric.wal...@gmail.com> > To: vortex-l <vortex-l@eskimo.com> > Sent: Thu, Feb 4, 2016 8:51 pm > Subject: Re: [Vo]:BLP demo video > > I wrote: > > I think Mills also mentioned soft x-rays early on, which are in the low >> keV. And the spectrum he spent time discussing had an endpoint somewhere >> above 100 eV. Such photons would presumably come from the excitation of >> inner shell electrons in heavier elements such as silver. >> > > I recall that the photons were mostly broadband, while emissions from > de-excitation of inner shell electrons would be characteristic (sharp). So > if the broadband spectra went back to energetic beta electrons, perhaps > they were due to bremsstrahlung instead. > > Eric >
